October 31st 1999. PT1

xxxxxxxxxx

Harry and Ginny's wedding day had been beautiful, truly spectacular if you asked for Hermione's opinion, which course as the maid of honour many had. The couple were just having their first dance and she was watching them happily from her seat at the head table when Ron, her boyfriend of two years sat down in the chair next to her and asked her for a dance. Happy that he would ask, she had of course grinned and nodded, letting him take her hand and guide her to the dance floor.

"Thank you for asking me to dance, Ron," She smiled and Ron nodded distractedly, "what's wrong, love?"

"Hermione…" he sighed, giving her arm a squeeze, "you know I love you, right?"

Hermione nodded and tried to hide her excitement as he looked nervously down at her, though she could feel it bubbling to the surface. She couldn't help but think it was terribly romantic for him to propose at the wedding, and when she saw Harry grin in their direction it only served to back up her suspicions. It may seem presumptuous, but she had caught him looking at rings in Diagon Alley the other week and he had tried to distract her when she had mentioned it, leading her to believe that he would ask her to be his wife soon. Obviously, he had chosen tonight to do it and she grinned up at him.

"I love you too, Ron." She smiled and he nodded, dropping his hands from around her waist.

She watched, smiling as he took a step back and waited excitedly for him to get down on one knee like she had always imagined. He seemed so incredibly nervous and she actually felt kind of sorry for him as he shuffled his feet.

"But…" he said and she felt the smile sliding from her face. Why wasn't he getting on one knee?

"But what, Ron?" She asked, stepping toward him and frowning when he stepped back again.

"But I'm not in love with you." He blurted.

Unfortunately, his words had been spoken just as the music stopped and the tent fell into silence, allowing everybody in it to hear exactly what Ron was saying. She heard a lot of gasps from the wedding guests as her hand came up to her mouth and tears welled in her eyes. She shook her head and felt her hair come loose from its formal up do, uncovering her mouth and staring confusedly at him.

"Ron," she rasped, clearing her throat before continuing, "What are you talking about? I thought you were going to propose, I caught you looking at rings!"

"Rings?" He snorted, "even if I was going to propose to you, which I'm not, it wouldn't be for years yet!"

"You complete and utter bastard, Ron Weasley," Came a hiss from Hermione's left and she turned to see the bride, who was glaring at her brother as she wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulder, "What the hell do you think you're playing at?"

"I'm not playing, Gin," Ron sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm not in love with her, I don't think I ever have been, and I can't keep lying to myself any more."

Hermione pulled away from Ginny and pulled her hand back, throwing it forward and coming into sudden violent contact with the side of his face. Ron gasped as his head recoiled from the stinging slap and Hermione glared at him before hitching up the floor length skirt of her bridesmaid dress and running from the tent.

xxxxxxxxxx

It was still silent inside the tent and Molly, keen to get the evening back on track, indicated to Lee, who had agreed to DJ for the evening, to start the music up again before approaching the growing group of Weasleys crowding around her youngest son. She could hear Ginny shouting at Ron and glanced at Harry to see him glaring at his best friend. Shaking her head, she arrived within the group just in time to hear the end of her daughter's lecture.

"…two years! Wasted because you didn't have the balls to tell the truth!"

"Ron, you are going to have to explain yourself, dear." Molly said calmly and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Well," cut in George, who was openly disgusted with his younger sibling, "This idiot has decided that tonight was the perfect night to tell the woman who thought he was going to propose that actually he doesn't love her, never has and doesn't want to be with her. Is that clear enough mother dearest? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find Hermione."

She watched as her remaining twin stormed out of the tent, turning his head in all directions in a frantic search for the girl, before turning back to Ron with her eyebrow raised. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably and lowered his gaze to the floor as the siblings present and his parents glared at him.

"At least I was honest." He muttered and Molly lost her cool, smacking him on the back of the head.

"You might have just lost the best thing that could ever have happened to you." She said sadly before ushering her children and husband away, leaving her youngest son alone in the middle of the dance floor. Just as she was returning to the head table, George returned looking something between angry and worried.

"She's not in the house, or any of the usual spots outside, I think she's left." He told his mum who nodded sadly, hoping she was ok, wherever she had gone.

xxxxxxxxxx

As soon as Hermione had left the tent, she had removed her high heels and run barefoot into the forrest, searching for the spot she had found the summer before, knowing that she was the only one who knew about it so she would at least be alone there. She stumbled over a log as she ran and righted herself just in time to avoid falling face first into a tree, turning and spying the small glade she had been looking for. Unfortunately, there was a Weasley laying on the middle of it. She sighed and walked forward, trying to discern which member of the family it was and was relieved to see his Dragon tooth earing and long shaggy hair. Charlie.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked once she stood above him, his eyes snapped open in surprise and he grinned roguishly up at her.

"Just remembering how old I am," he chuckled and Hermione snorted, "You know, it's a good job that dress isn't any shorter or I'd have a right good view of your knickers."

Hermione chuckled and kicked him not too roughly in the side, hearing him grunt, before plopping down next to him and laying down herself. She was so glad that it had been Charlie who had been here. She had always gotten on with the second oldest Weasley and he had a certain way of calming her down or cheering her up, whatever she needed. They did not see one another often, what with his job in Romania, but whenever they did she very much enjoyed his company. That he was incredibly easy on the eye didn't hurt, either.